Smarter Balanced FAQ

Smarter Balanced FAQ

Reduced assessment time. The assessments have eliminated the previously required classroom-based activity before each Performance Task. This will reduce time spent on the assessments.

Uniform assessment windows. No longer do third-graders and 10th-graders have a shortened testing window. All grades may take the assessment between mid-March and early June.

Option to release high school scores to colleges. At the end of the Smarter Balanced assessment for grades 10 and 11, students are given the option to check a box that would allow scores to be released to colleges. Scores will only be requested after a student has been admitted to a college (so that colleges can determine whether to waive placement tests and remedial courses), so this option would not impact admission.

How are the assessments organized and how long do they take?

In Smarter Balanced, both the English Language Arts and Math assessments are online, and each isorganized into two sections:

Computer Adaptive (CAT): Series of questions, estimated to take 2 - 2.5 hours.

How can I best prepare my child for the assessments?

Our teachers' engaging daily lessons are the most effective preparation for students because the assessments are designed to match classroom learning goals. Teachers provide keyboarding practice for our younger students, and schools familiarize students with the online format through brief training tests.

Families may take practice tests Opens a New Window. at home if they'd like, and students tend to perform best when they are well fed and well rested. No additional family preparation is necessary other than a positive attitude and growth mindset.

How do Smarter Balanced assessments present content differently?

Smarter Balanced assessments are designed to require more complex thinking than previous state assessments required. For example:

Evidence: Students must go beyond simply skim-reading or answering writing prompts with only personal opinion. The assessments demand close reading and evidence-based responses.

Rigor: Students may not rely as much on process-of-elimination. The assessment includes some multiple choice with more than one answer as well as other demands for higher-level thinking.

Authenticity: It may not be enough to apply memorized formulas to a set of numbers out of context. Smarter Balanced asks students to apply math concepts to real-life situations, often requiring multiple steps.

Writing: Writing is now assessed at all tested grade levels, with extended writing in English language arts. Even math includes some short-answer writing.

The assessments are online.
Does this change the way students take the test?

The online format means the tests can be:

Interactive: More than just multiple-choice, students may be asked to drag-and-drop answers, complete charts or highlight evidence.

Adaptive: Assessments conform to ability; questions become more or less challenging for each student depending on answers.

Supportive: The online platform offers supports for all students, such as built-in calculators, highlighters, etc., and more specific accommodations for students with special needs.

How will scores be shared with families?

The state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) mails hard copies of state test scores to school districts by the end of August, the district distributes them to schools, and schools make them available to families. These are score reports that show families how students fared on the Smarter Balanced assessments the previous spring. Scores are posted to The Source in September

How are scoring ranges determined?

The Smarter Balanced score reports will allow families to chart students' grade-level growth over the years. Score numbers will range from about 2,000 to 3,000, with achievement levels from 1-4. Teachers and community members helped set these levels initially by using data from 2014 field tests involving more than 3 million students.

Smarter Balanced is different enough that scores cannot be accurately compared to those of previous state tests, but families may be tempted to compare them anyway, especially if a student's proficiency level changes. Remember that scoring shifts are normal whenever more rigorous academics and their assessments are introduced; teachers and students need time to adjust. The 2015 scores are viewed as a baseline that will help our teachers (and families) measure future growth.

Because the assessments were new in 2015, teachers and school leaders have recalibrated their expectations, knowing that scoring shifts are normal and teachers and students need time to adjust. For example, state officials have adjusted passing scores for graduation Opens a New Window. to maintain the current graduation rate. Everybody is working together to ensure that students' scores are viewed fairly as we grow into more challenging academic expectations.

For ELL students, the assessments include translation glossaries in 10 languages (Filipino, Korean, Mandarin, Punjabi, Russian, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Spanish, Arabic and Cantonese), with translated student directions in additional languages (Dakota, French, Haitian, Hmong, Japanese, Lakota, Somali and Yupik). The assessments include a variety of accommodation options, such as using dictionaries in the student's home language or having items read aloud. Students who have been in an English-speaking school for less than a year are exempt from the English language arts assessment.

What's the state requirement for third-graders?

Smarter Balanced assessments begin in third grade, an important age for literacy development. For this reason, the state now requires that third-graders who are identified as struggling readers receive academic interventions through the child's school. Schools may identify these struggling readers before the Smarter Balanced is administered. But for students not previously identified, the state mandates that students with a Level 1 score (out of four levels) on the English language arts Smarter Balanced assessment are scheduled for academic interventions. Your child's teacher or principal will contact you, if necessary.

What are the requirements for high school students?

Starting school year 2017-2018, all 10th grade students will take the Smarter Balanced Assessment in English/Language Arts and Mathematics during the spring administration. Juniors and Seniors may also take these tests if they have not already met state graduation requirements. Further, high school students must have attempted the Smarter Balanced Assessments before they may submit state graduation alternatives.

In the state of Washington, students must pass a state assessment as part of their graduation requirements. Applicable assessments are based on a students’ graduating class (see OSPI's State Testing webpage for a complete graduation test chart organized by graduation year.) Students in the class of 2019 will be expected to pass the Smarter Balanced assessment in both ELA and Math.

What if my child doesn't take the assessment?

Students who do not take the assessment receive a score of zero.

Families who opt their children out of participation in assessments, including Smarter Balanced, must submit a request in writing and sign and date the communication. The communication must specify the specific assessments they are opting out of. Parents or guardians must submit an opt out communication annually. For your convenience, families may use this opt out/refusal form or submit a clear written and signed document. Opt out requests should be submitted to the child's principal prior to the start of testing. Check with your school for information about testing dates.

Additional opt out/refusal details and implications:

The opt out/refusal is valid for one school year. If you want to refuse participation in any assessment, you will need to re-submit the opt out/refusal form each year.

Students who do not participate will receive a "zero" score on the assessment and no score report will be provided for teachers or families to view.

Students who do not participate will receive supervision but not instruction during assessment time. The school will do their best to accommodate your child during the testing period. Generally, that means finding them a quiet place to read or do homework (in the library or office). Since teachers are usually engaged in supervising the assessments, we are unable to provide alternative instruction.

As a district, we are required to have at least 95 percent Smarter Balanced participation. Because some of our schools did not meet this requirement last spring, OSPI has notified the district of the possibility that funding could be withheld.

Teachers will not receive results that could otherwise be used as a tool to measure the student's academic growth, for example, in the core academic areas of reading, writing, math, and/or science.

Families will not receive results that will enable them to chart the student's growth over time.

Smarter Balanced is used as an achievement measure for Highly Capable and Advanced Learner eligibility. In order to be designated as Highly Capable or as an Advanced Learner, multiple criteria are considered, including but not limited to measures of both cognitive and achievement abilities. If a student goes through the Highly Capable or Advanced Learner referral process, but refuses to participate in Smarter Balanced testing, the student will not meet all of the criteria for those services. Note that families in this case will have the option to appeal the decision.

Students who do not receive a passing score for the high school state assessment in all required subjects, or an approved alternative (including the state-defined prerequisites to access approved alternatives), will not be able to obtain a high school diploma.

The Smarter Balanced assessment for 10th grade is currently a state requirement to graduate from high school.